Imminence Effect
by Fyiad
Summary: In 2900 C.E, the largest human ship, the U.R.S.C Olympus, dissapeared. Official reports listed it as M.I.A, but it was transported to another universe. This is the tale of what happened to it.
1. Chapter 1

Accessing files: URSC Olympus  
>Loading... Done<br>**Specifications:**  
>Class:<br>Supercarrier

Length:  
>15 Kilometers<p>

Width:  
>4.5 Kilometers<p>

Engine:  
>Mk. II anti-matter drive<p>

Slipspace drive:  
>Mk. III Human-Sangheili Drive (prototype)<p>

Hull:  
>10 Meters Titanium A armor. Equipped with double layer energy shielding.<p>

Armament:  
>1 Magnetic Accelerator Cannon. Fire rate: ten shots per charge.<br>1000 Ranger missile pods.  
>50 HAVOK tactical nuclear weapons.<br>50 Aries nuclear missiles.  
>300 50mm point-defense guns.<br>100 Heavy Deck Guns

Complement and Crew:  
>M1Z1 "Katana" Interceptors (5 Squadrons)<br>Type-31 "Seraph" Fighters (5 Squadrons)  
>XAA-5000 "Rapier" Fighters (5 Squadrons)<br>D77-TC "Pelican" Dropships (45)  
>Type-25 "Spirit" Troop Carriers (45)<br>Type-52 "Phantom" Troop Carriers (45)  
>M808B "Scorpion" MBT (100)<br>Type-26 "Wraith" AGC (100)  
>M12 "Warthog" LAVLAAV (400)  
>Type-32 "Ghost" RAV (200)<br>Type-47 "Scarab" UHAP (12)  
>Naval Personnel (2700)<br>Marines (15,000)  
>ODST Battalion (10)<br>SPARTAN IV (20)  
>Sangheili Warriors (4000)<br>Huragok (5000)  
>Mgalekgolo (300)<p>

Artificial Intelligence:  
>Odin (AI serial number 6235) Ship AI<br>Leonidas (AI serial number 6218) Spartan AI  
>Churchill (AI serial number 6227) Ship AI<p>

**Service Information:**  
>Construction:<br>started: 2845  
>Finished: 2889<p>

Acting Captain: ...James Hastern.  
>(0)(0)(0) <p>

Captain James Hastern walked slowly on the command deck of his new ship. It was huge, both the ship and the deck. Nervously, he fiddled with the collar around his neck, then suddenly jerked his hand away when he noticed he was doing it. He hated being nervous, better to be relaxed and calm. Being nervous causes errors and in battle, those errors can cause death for not only you, but your comrades.

To calm himself down, he recited some of the history lessons he had learned in school. The lessons of the human-Covenant war and how humanity had almost been driven to the brink of destruction. How only by the sacrifices of the Master Chief had humanity survived. How after the war, humanity and the sangheili had come together to create the United Races Space Command. How, together, they had chased down the scattered remnants of the Covenant.

The Mgalekgolo was the first to join the new alliance. Realizing that there was no profit in the destroyed Covenant, the Kig-yar were the next to join. The Unggoy had been next. The Jiralhanae had remained loyal to the San 'Shyuum and would have been hunted into extinction if not for strong outcry from the Human government. The Huragok had simply gone with the humans. When asked why, all of the Huragok has said was, "they hold the mantle." This phrase remains a mystery even to this day.

The Olympus was proof that humanity had not only recovered, but improved from their pre-war status. It was the biggest human ship ever constructed and had a multi-racial crew. With not one, but three AIs, 30 Spartan IVs, the most powerful MAC cannon ever mounted on a ship and nearly a dozen Scarabs, it could take on any force, ground or space, and it was assigned to Hastern. A 83 year old captain with nearly a dozen medals. Of course, he didn't look 83, he looked like a man in his 30s. No one looked older then 40, with the recent advances in anti-aging technology.

Hastern rubbed his eyes. He hadn't been able to sleep the previous night because of the excitement, getting assigned the largest ship in the fleet does that to you. When the order came for him to get assigned to the Olympus, he thought it was a joke and he was going to get assigned to a backwater station because of his hot head. When command had stated that they were serious, Hastern insisted on getting it verified so many time, that Lord Hood himself had to talk to him.

"Is there something wrong, my friend?"

Despite knowing who it was, Hastern jumped. "Jesus Ratgamee! Don't scare me like that."

The Sangheili chuckled and walked beside him observing the bridge. "I have never understood you humans fascination with having the command center in such an exposed location."

Hastern sighed. "I appreciate you attempts to calm me down, but it's not working."

"Was I that obvious?"

"You always talk about the differences between our species when you try to calm me down, old friend. Still, I wouldn't have anyone else as my CO for this ship."

"As I would rather not be serving under any other being, Sangheili or alien."

The display next to Hastern suddenly flickered to life, and the image of an old man in Norse armor and robes. "Sir, all hands are on deck and accounted for. We are ready to launch at your command."

"Thank you Odin. All hands, prepare for cast-off!"

Hastern watched as the command display flickered to life. Putting his hand on it, it read his biometric code and signatures. Verifying that it was in fact him, the screen in front of him jumped to life with readings of each part of the ships and the nearby ships.

Hastern grinned. "Let's see what this thing can do."

(0)(0)(0)

In 2900 C.E, the largest human ship ever created, the Olympus, was deployed for active duty. Three years later, it dissapeared with all hands. This is what happened to it.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Mass Effect and Halo do not belong to me, blah blah blah.

Lots of people commented about the URSC's weapons tech. Don't worry, they have incorporated plasma tech into their weapons. All shall be explained in the next chapter.

* * *

><p>April 27 2900. 0 day(s) after disappearance of URSC Olympus...<p>

"Odin, what do you mean by 'it has no mass?' It's nearly as long as this ship!"

"Ah'm just as confused as you are captain. Ah don't know how, but that bloody thing just doesn't have any weight!"

Hastern sighed as he looked at the object in question. It looked almost like a tuning fork with a large circle cut out of it. Within the circle rotated two rings in opposite directions with a bright, blue light in the center. Odin had scanned it and the results he had found were surprising, to say the least. The object didn't have weight or mass and didn't emit any energy signatures of any kind, not even those found in Forerunner ruins.

Hastern rubbed the bridge of his nose as he mentally went through his orders again. Read orders from HIGHCOM? Check. Travel to one of the most remote corners of the galaxy with the most powerful battle group in the URSC? Check. Investigate and discover the origins of an ancient object that wasn't Forerunner? ...Still working on that.

Slowly, the rings in the object started moving more rapidly. "What are you?" muttered Hastern

"Sir! I'm reading massive energy signatures from the object!" shouted one of the officers on the deck.

Hastern suddenly stood up from his Captains chair. "What! Odin, I thought you said that it didn't have any readings from it!"

"It did not captain, but the energy signatures suddenly shot off the charts. Ah recommend putting as much distance as we can between us and it."

"Good idea. Odin, get us as far away from that thing as you can!"

"Negative captain! It's emitting a high gravity field! Whatever that thing is, it's pullin' us in!"

The object's rings continued to spin faster and faster. Suddenly, a beam snaked out from the blue light and attached itself to the Olympus.

"What the hell is that thing?" shouted Hastern.

"Unknown Captain, but it's messing up our electronics."

Hastern swore. He had the responsibility of both the pride of the human fleet and the tens of thousands of lives that worked on the ship. In this situation with that much pressure, most people would crack. James Hastern, however, was not most people. He had been trained in top military academies and was a veteran of many battles. No less of amazing was expected of the Captain of the greatest ship ever built by human hands.

"Initiate slipspace drive. We're going to make a jump."

The hologram of Odin whirled to face Hastern dramatically. "Sir, are you sure that's wise? We don't know what affects it will have with this object."

"I'm responsible for every life on this ship." Hastern said quietly. "We're in danger as long as that thing is attached to us somehow. Make the jump."

The hologram of Odin nodded. "Understood sir. Activating the slipspace drive."

A slipspace drive is a very confusing thing, something that is still not fully understood to the 30th century. What we do know is that is that current generation slipspace drives, "slice" a hole in real space to a place know as the Slipstream space, or subspace. In this space, dimensions are twined together, like a ball of yarn. Which allows quick travel between long distances. It is unknown just what happened with the Olympus, but observers reported a strange incident. The device suddenly flashed and there was a blinding light and then there was nothing. The Olympus had just disappeared.

(0)(0)(0)

Commander Shepard sat, thinking. 'This is it,' he thought, 'this will have effects that will be felt throughout the galaxy.' Slowly, he reached down to the table and grabbed a few of the objects on it. He lifted them up to his face and looked at them. 'Everything I've done has led up to this moment.' Closing his eyes, he breathed out slowly.

"Call," he said as he tossed the poker chips in the pile.

"So, you're willing to risk it, Shepard?" said Wrex, one of the few who was still in.

"Of course, I've never walked away from a challenge. Who's still in?"

"I am," Kaidan said, biotically twirling a few of his chips.

"Anyone else?" asked Shepard.

Shyly, the newest crew member of the Normandy, Liara T'Soni, raised her hand. "I am as well. I still do not know how to play this game you call 'Texas Hold Them.'"

"Hold 'em," corrected Shepard, "and don't worry about it, you'll be fine. So Williams, let's see the river."

"Sure Skipper," said Ashley as she dealt out the last card. It was a five. Shepard grinned, he had a full house, two kings and three fives.

Kaidan tossed in five chips. "Fifty."

Garrus Vakarian raised his eyebrow plates. "High bet."

"I'll see you," rumbled Wrex, tossing in the same amount of chips.

Liara silently called.

Shepard grinned and dealt fifty more chips into the pile.

"Shepard, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Asked Tali, the Normandy's chief engineer.

"Trust me. Let's see 'em soldiers."

Wrex tossed his cards on the table. "Three jacks."

"Not bad, but not good enough. Full house." Shepard said, smiling as he showed his cards. "What about you Kaidan?"

"I was trying to bluff you Commander, I've got nothing." Kaidan said. Indeed, all he had was a queen high.

"Well, well, well, looks like I'm going to take this pile."

"Wait a moment Commander, what do you have Liara?"

"I do not know. Is four kings good?"

Everyone immediately looked at Liara's hand with wide eyes. "Talk about beginners luck," muttered Ashely.

"Uh... Commander?"

Shepard sighed. "Yes Joker?"

"The Council wants to see you in the comm room. They say it's urgent."

"Fine. I'll be there soon. Looks like I'll have to leave this game early ladies and gentlemen."

"You can't just leave, you're winning," protested Tali.

"Just divide up my chips between you all," Shepard said as he walked away.

Shepard walked calmly into the comm room and activated the link. Instantly, the three holograms of the three councilors sprang into view.

"Shepard," said Tevos, the asari councilor, "where are you at in your mission against Saren?"

"We're headed to Feros. After that, we'll head to Noveria, but you didn't call me for a mission update, did you?"

"No, we did not. We've detected unusually activity on one of the mass relays. We want you to to investigate it."

"Do you think it's Saren?" asked Shepard.

This time, the Salarian councilor spoke up. "No. The activity is coming from within the relay."

"Then why send a Spectre and not a science team?"

"The readings coming from it are similar to when a ship passes through it. If a ship does pass through, we need our best, a Spectre, to greet them," the Salarian councilor said again.

"Then why me and not another Spectre?"

The Turian Councilor made a noise that Shepard guessed was similar to a scoff. "All other Spectres are either too far away or are on missions. You are the only one that can."

"Understood Councilors, I'll travel to the relay as soon as possible."

"Good luck Commander," Said Tevos as the holograms disappeared.

Shepard sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "You hear that Joker?"

"Every word, Commander. You want me to plot a course for it?"

"Yeah. If any of the crew needs me, I'll be in my room sleeping."

"Understood Commander. Sweet dreams."

Unfortunately for Commander Shepard, sweet dreams is not what he had. Instead, nightmares plagued his sleep, images of planets being burned, people being slaughtered and torn apart, a weapon that could kill a galaxy and an cataclysm of flesh that consumed and consumed until nothing was left.

(0)(0)(0)  
>Shepard walked slowly up the bridge to the cockpit. Everyone seemed on edge around him. 'Seems like it wasn't just me who had bad dreams,' he thought.<p>

"Sleep well Commander?" Joker said as Shepard reached the cockpit.

"I wish. Are we at the relay?"

"See for yourself."

When Shepard saw the relay, he could understand why it was under investigation. Blue lightning crackled along the surface of it and the two rings inside of it were spinning quickly.

"Right, tell me if it changes at all. I'm gonna make some coffee in the mess."

"Make one for me?" Joker asked.

Shepard sighed and rubbed his head. "Fine, but you owe me."

Joker laughed. "Anytime Commander."

Shepard walked down to the mess and started boiling the water for the coffee. He only drank it to wake himself up, unlike Joker who was downright addicted to the stuff. Shepard smiled as he remembered one time when Joker was restricted to decaf because of his hyperactivity. He had such a bad tantrum that he nearly got sent to the brig.

Finally, the water boiled and Shepard added the instant coffee. After taking a long whiff, he took a sip and promptly made a face. "Needs milk," he muttered.  
>Just as he opened the fridge, Joker spoke over the loudspeaker. "Uh, Commander? It's acting up. A lot. Get up here quickly."<p>

Abandoning the coffee, Shepard ran back up to the cockpit where he was greeted by the sight of the ground team all hovering over Joker's chair. "Where's the coffee?" asked the crowded pilot.

Ignoring him, Shepard looked at the relay. This time, it was emitting pulses of energy and what looked like a black tear in space was just next to it.

"It looks almost like hole in space. I wonder what technology was required for that to happen." Liara remarked.

"Joker, are you sure we're at a safe distance?" asked Shepard.

"Commander, we're 20 kilometers away from it. Whatever happens, we'll be fine."

That's when a 15 kilometer long ship suddenly appeared out of the hole.

"H-h-holy shit!"

Suddenly, there was a flurry of voices from the ground team.

"Look at the size of that thing!"

"Those weapons look like they could do some damage."

"Dwarfs the Destiny Ascension..."

"...Nearly a third the size of the Citadel."

"Quiet!" shouted Shepard. "Liara, your the expert on ancient things. Does that ship look prothean?"

"No, it does not. There is some lettering below that gun there, but I do not recognize the language."

Shepard froze. "I can read it."

"Amazing Shepard!" exclaimed Liara, "Is it because of the beacon?"

"No, Joker, Williams, Kaidan, you should be able to read it to."

"Yeah, Commander, it's... English."

"What's that beeping?" asked Garrus.

Everyone immediately looked towards the pilots display where a light was flashing.

"Joker, what's that?"

"That's the comm line. They're hailing us."

(0)(0)(0)

Five minutes ago, URSC Olympus...

"Odin, what the hell just happened?"

"Unknown sir, it appears when we made the slipspace jump, the object activated."

"I understand that, but what did it do?"

"Ah do not sir."

Hastern sighed as he stood up from his chair. "Where are we?"

"Unknown sir."

"What? That's not possible, we've mapped the entire galaxy! Are we in another one?"

"I do not know sir, but the constellations are different than any part of the galaxy."

Hastern's hand made it half-way to his collar before he stopped it. "Understood, send out a distress call on all channels."

A few tense minutes passed before Odin spoke up again. "Sir, we're getting a response."

"Good, open a comm channel with them."

On the captains display appeared the image of what looked like a man in his late twenties. "This is Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy. Please identify yourself."

"Sir, there are no Commanders with the name Shepard, nor are there any ships with the name of Normandy in the URSC," spoke Odin.

"Maybe we're not in the URSC anymore," remarked Hastern. Turning off the mute button, he turned back to Shepard. "This is Captain James Hastern of the URSC Olympus."

There was a brief pause before Shepard spoke. "Olympus, you are not in any Alliance databases."

"We shouldn't. It's a long story and would best be told face-to-face. If possible, I would like to send a dropship with myself on it."

There was another pause before Shepard responded. "Understood. We'll transmit the coordinates to your ship. See you soon captain." With that, the image dissapeared.

"Odin, have you checked the coordinates?"

"Yes sir, everything seems fine."

"Good." Hastern tapped one of the buttons on the command display. "Spartan team Omega, report to hanger bay C. You'll be escorting me."

"My friend, are you sure this is wise?" asked Ratgamee.

Ignoring the fact that he had, once again, snuck up on him, Hastern responded with a pat on the shoulder, before striding towards the elevator to the hanger bays.

(0)(0)(0)

Shepard stood in the hanger bay with the ground team, waiting for the dropship this captain was on. The hanger bay door was open, and he stared into the void of space, thinking. All the stars in space shown like little beacons of light. Then he noticed that one of the stars was moving. 'Must be the dropship,' he thought.

As it came closer, Shepard got a better look at it. It was heavily armored and rather angular. Instead of being blue and white, like most Alliance shuttles, it was a drab olive grey. It was also much larger then most alliance shuttles and, instead of looking good like most things about the Alliance, it looked more like it could do some damage.

As the dropship landed in the Normandy's hanger bay, the back doors of the dropship opened and three large heavily armed and armored soldiers piled out. They wore large drab green armor and their faces were hidden by helmets. "They look like they could do some damage," commented Ashley.

Finally, a man in his mid thirties strode out, followed by three more of the heavily armored soldiers. "You must be Commander Shepard."

"And you must be Captain James Hastern. Welcome to the Normandy."

"Yes, well I suppose I should start with saying that we're probably not from this dimension."

"I'm not sure I understand Captain, can you explain?"

"The star constellations are different than any in our galaxy. Not only that, but there is no such thing as the Alliance, only the united races space command and the united races government."

Shepards eyes widened. If this man was telling the truth, then this was an incredible event, to say the least.

Suddenly, Hastern's hand went to his ear. "Understood. Continue monitoring them."

"Is there something wrong?" asked Shepard.

"We have incoming ships of unknown make." Hastern reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. The hologram of a ship appeared above it.

"That's a batarian pirate ship," commented Ashely.

"There's a group of seven of them coming this way," Hastern explained.

"They probably realized that there might be something here to steal. Captain, I recommend getting back to your ship. We'll help you fight them."

"No need for you to fight them. We'll show you what the Olympus is capable of."

(0)(0)(0)

Hastern stepped out of the elevator to the command deck. "Odin, have you downloaded the translator of this galaxy?"

"Yes sir. Do you wish to send a message to the pirates."

"Yes. Tell them, 'Leave now and you shall keep your lives.' Also, while your at it, update all of the crews translators with the languages of this universe."

"Done sir. Transmitting now."

"Good. Arm the MAC cannon and warm up three missile pods."

"Done sir, the MAC cannon will be at 100% in five seconds."

After a few moments, Odin spoke again. "Sir, they've sent a response."

"What is it."

"It's just of them laughing and saying something about enslaving our crew."

Hastern's eye twitched. If there was one thing he hated, it was slavery. "And I was willing to have some mercy," he muttered, "Target the largest ship and fire the MAC cannon."

The MAC cannon of the Olympus is incredibly powerful. Equal in strength to the orbital MAC cannons, it can fire a 3000 ton, ferric slug at 4% the speed of light. The slug impacts with the equivalent force of 51.6 gigatons of TNT, 80,625 times that of an ordinary MAC cannon. When hit, the poorly shielded batarian vessel simply ceased to exist. The slug, only slighted affected from it's impact, continued on its course and collided with the vessel behind it. This time, the vessel merely shattered into small fragments, which peppered the nearby ships shields.

"Continue to fire until they are all destroyed," said Hastern.

"Understood sir."

The Olympus rumbled and another slug was propelled towards its destination, like a bullet from god.


	3. Chapter 3

A.N: Right, the crew of the Olympus are officially badasses. It took me a while to incorporate plasma weaponry into humanity's guns, but I got inspiration from the covenant carbine from Halo 2&3. Hope this will please those of you who were confused about the deck guns and point defense guns. Ah yes, one more thing: the aboard the Olympus are incredibly advanced. For example, if EDI were to fight one, it'd be like a biplane going against an F-22. That is all. Enjoy the chapter.

Also, here's a key for the page breaks:

[0][0][0]= U.R.S.C

(0)(0)(0)= Shepard and co.

000= Spartans. Yes, Spartans are badass enough to get their own one.

* * *

><p>Shepard looked at the Olympus' main gun in a mix of awe and terror. It had utterly annihilated the entire Batarian pirate group without letting even a single ship within a million kilometers of the giant carrier. 'Strong weapons like that are usually created in great conflicts. What kind of conflict would have had to happen for that weapon to be created?' he wondered, 'What did these people go through?'<p>

The comm beeped. "Think we should answer that Commander?" asked Joker.

"Why wouldn't we?"

Joker shrugged. "Dunno, just never trusted people with that much power."

Shepard rubbed his head. Joker had a point, power tended to make people cocky and arrogant and Hastern seemed young to be a captain of that ship. Still, if what they said was true, they needed help and what kind of person would Shepard be if he denied help to those who needed it? "Put them on."

"Shepard, good to hear from you. As you can probably tell, we've dealt with the pirates."

"I can see. The council will want to debrief you. You can follow our ship to the relay."

"No need Commander, we'll get our own way. We can give you a lift if you want."

Shepard pressed the mute button and turned to his ground team. "Opinions?" he asked.

"I don't trust these people Commander, I'd be careful."

"Oh, stop being so doubtful Kaiden, they're humans like us. I'd have confidence in them Skipper."

"You're too optimistic," grunted Wrex, "still I'd be interested to see what weapons humans from another universe have."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the Krogan." Garrus turned to take another look at the ship. "We could learn a lot from outside tech."

"Garrus is right. Their tech could be handy in our hunt for Saren."

Wrex snorted. "You're just looking for something for your pilgrimage, aren't you?"

"That's just a secondary reason!" Tali protested.

"What about you, Liara?" Shepard asked, "You've been awfully quiet."

"I do not know. My specialties are within ancient races, not humans from another universe."

"Understood. All for, raise your hand." In the end, Tali, Wrex, Garrus and Ashely voted for going on the ship. Kaiden voted against and Liara abstained from voting.

Shepard un-muted the comm. "Captain, we'll piggy-back on your ship. We'll send the coordinates to the Citadel immediately."

"Understood Commander. Head for one of our docking bays along the side. You'll know it when you see it." The comm cut out after that.

Shepard looked at Joker, who only shrugged and started flying to the side of the ship.

000

Aaron chambered the round, took aim and fired. Instantly a hole appeared in the middle of the target. He fired again and again until the magazine was empty. The target had a large hole in the center.

Slowly, the smell from the gun wafted up to his naked face. He wrinkled his nose. He had fired slug based weaponry before and the smell of modern day weaponry just didn't compare to the smell of gunpowder.

Hearing a clapping sound, Aaron turned around to the sight to his squad-mate, already in his olive-green armor. "Jeffery," he said.

"Hey boss, the cap wants us in docking bay D. We've got some visitors."

"Understood, does the rest of Omega know?"

"Yep, told them before you."

"Good." Aaron slowly grasped his helmet and lifted it over his head. It was grey, like the rest of his armor. As he heard the sound of the seals hiss, his HUD popped up on his screen.

Jeffery fell in step behind Aaron as they walked out of the range. "Think we'll see some action?" he asked.

"We'll fight if we're needed," Aaron said, "We're Spartans for a reason, after all."

(0)(0)(0)

Shepard walked out of the Normandy and onto the walkway in the Olympus' docking bay. Immediately, he heard the clacks of guns being raised. Five of the armored soldiers from before were there, sporting many different guns, all of them pointed at Shepard and his squad.

"Was it something I said?" he asked, hoping the joke would make everyone relax.

The soldiers didn't even twitch.

"My apologies, commander," Hastern said, walking out of a nearby shadow, "but we need to take necessary precautions. Take their weapons."

Shepard's expression suddenly turned serious. "I don't think so."

"Commander, these soldiers are among the best warriors in the galaxy. You have several snipers trained on you and your squad. Should I give the order, you will be dead within less then a second. Give me your weapons."

"I don't surrender my guns," growled Shepard.

For several seconds, there was a tense stand-off, with neither side relenting. Then, suddenly, Hastern smiled and turned around. "You're a strong officer, Commander. You've got guts. I'll let you on my ship with your guns, just don't fire them anywhere except the range." With that, he walked away.

Shepard stood and blinked for a few seconds. "What just happened?"

The soldier in olive green armor walked past Shepard, chuckling. "That's just our captain. You'll get used to it."

Suddenly, a voice rang out throughout the docking bay. "All hands, prepare for slipspace jump."

Shepard turned to the soldier that had just talked. "Slipspace jump?"

"Oh, come on, don't tell me this universe doesn't have slipspace."

Shepard only looked blankly at the soldier.

"Really? You don't? Well, I'm no expert, but it's our way of traveling faster of light."

"How does it work?" asked Tali, suddenly interested.

"Again, I'm no expert, but our ship A.I should be able to explain it."

All at once, looks of surprise appeared on Shepard and his team's faces. "Are you insane!" shouted Tali, "You have an A.I on your ship?"

"Yeah, we have three of them. Don't tell me you don't use either." the soldier calmly said.

"Of course we don't! Do you realize what an A.I could do to us? It could kill us all right now!"

"Oi, I'd never do anything like that!" Suddenly, the image of a large man in a suit, smoking a cigar appeared on one of the nearby pedestals. "And, Missy, I'd prefer to be called him, not it."

Tali only stared at it in shock.

"Meet Churchill, our resident human-relations and spacial combat A.I. He helps with the crew, manages the targeting system during space combat and controls the electronic warefare suites."

The hologram of the man bowed. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Tali looked at it for a second before storming off angrily to the Normandy.

The soldier in grey armor spoke up this time. "Will she be a problem?"

Shepard shook his head. "Nah, I'll take care of her. I'm more concerned about your . Are you sure they're safe?"

Churchill huffed. "Please sir, why would I want to kill you? Humans created me, they're like my parents. Would you kill your parents?"

A slightly concerned look came to Shepard's face. "No, but-"

"Relax," said the grey armored soldier, "we've been using for close to a millennium. They can be trusted."

"If you say so..." Shepard muttered. "If it's alright, we'd like to take a look around the ship," he said, changing the subject.

The soldier shrugged. "Sure. If you want to get to a certain place, just ask Churchill."

[0][0][0]

Master Gunnery Sergeant Vaquaz was a very serious man. He took his responsibilities with large amounts of attention, keeping his armory, one of the many aboard the Olympus, in working order and his guns clean. So, when some skinny, little brat from another universe went snooping through his guns without his permission, he wasn't happy.

"What the hell are you doing in my armory!" he shouted.

The man, who up to the point had been examining a weapon, held it up. "This gun has a different mechanism from the ones I usually use. How does it work?" he asked, as if Vaquaz hadn't yelled at him.

Instantly, Vaquaz's mood changed. If there was one thing he loved doing, it was explaining how his weapons worked. Puffing himself up, he grabbed on of the rifles on the table. "This is the MA9V assault rifle. It can holds 50 shots per magazine and fires 800 times per minute."

"Impressive for a slug-thrower," remarked the man.

Vaquaz wrinkled his nose. "Slug-thrower? This gun doesn't use bullets. What gave you that idea?"

The man pointed to one of the magazines on the table.

Vaquaz laughed. "Those don't hold bullets. They hold krypton gas."

A confused look came to the man's face. "Gas?"

"Yep," said Vaquaz, now in his element, "these babies turn the krypton into plasma, which is then compressed into a solid form about the size of a bullet from the 21st century. The plasma is then magnetically accelerated out of the barrel to around .01% the speed of light. Does hell to shields and electronics and because it's magnetically accelerated, it barely has any recoil. These guns have been serving our forces for years now."

The man whistled. "Impressive. I'm Kaidan, by the way," he said, extending his hand.

"Master Gunnery Sergeant Vaquaz. Pleasure to meet you."

(0)(0)(0)

Garrus walked through the upper halls of the Olympus, looking at the large amounts of weaponry stationed on the ship. The deck guns, the point-defense guns, the ranger missile pods, the MAC gun, all of it seemed way too much for Garrus. "Why on palaven would this ship have so many guns?" he said aloud.

"It was deemed necessary in the ship's construction," said Churchill, suddenly appearing next to Garrus.

"Spirits! Don't scare me like that!" Garrus shouted, jumping back.

"My apologies. I shan't do it again."

"Good." Garrus took another look at the large guns. 'Might as well,' he thought. "How do those guns work?"

"There are large tanks of compressed xenon within the ships. When the weapons are going to fire, the xenon is pumped into a plasma chamber, where it is compressed and super-heated into plasma. The plasma is then magnetically accelerated out of the barrel at approximately .05% light speed for the point defense guns and .07% light speed for the deck guns."

Garrus made a surprised expression. "Why are they so powerful?" he asked, "Isn't your galaxy a safer place then that?"

"Unfortunately, it is not," said Churchill, "the effects from the Great War are still felt, 350 years later."

"The Great War? What was it?"

"The darkest period in human history..." said the A.I soberly.

000

Aaron's fist slammed into the punching bag. It lifted up and fell heavily. He had been practicing on it for the past two hours, non-stop. He had a light glean of sweat across his forehead.

As the bag swung his way, he delivered an open-hand strike to it, stopping it in place. There was clapping behind him.

'Jeffery?' he thought.

"Nice job," a female voice said.

'Not Jeffery.'

Aaron turned around to see one of the squad members from the Normandy behind him. He shrugged.

"But I beat you couldn't beat me in a fight," she said.

Aaron raised an eyebrow. If he sparred with this woman, she could get seriously injured. "I'm not going to spar with you," the Spartan said bluntly.

"Oh come on, afraid of hurting a girl?" the woman taunted.

"Nor are you going to goad me into a fight. Trust me, it would end badly for you."

"You are going to fight me," she insisted.

Aaron sighed. He knew these people, they were bulldogs, once they had sunk their teeth into something, they didn't let go. "Fine," he said. Turning to the punching bag, he hit it hard. It swung up and banged against the ceiling. "If you can do that, I'll fight you."

The woman looked at it nervously. "My name is Ashley Williams," she said as she walked up to the bag. Slowly, she breathed in and drew her fist back. Suddenly, she threw it towards the bag.

As it hit, two things happened. One: the woman (who Aaron now knew as Ashley) cried out in pain. Two: the bag moved about an inch. "What the hell is in that thing!" she screamed.

Aaron walked over to the bag and opened it. After reaching his hand in it, he pulled out a handful of black powder. "Lead shavings."

Ashley stared in amazement as Aaron grabbed a towel and calmly walked out of the room.

[0][0][0]

Churchill was a eighth generation smart A.I. Capable of billions of calculations per second, he could outsmart any non-A.I system in existence and most other . Currently, he was tracking the personnel in the ship and making sure the weapons were in working order, but that was only with his main attention. He was also formulating the next chapter of the history of the Great War for Garrus Vakarian, communicating with Odin to make sure the slipspace rupture didn't collapse while also beating him in another chess game (the score was 6571 wins, 6568 losses, 6570 ties. Churchill was winning) and infiltrating the Normandy's systems, breaking down the V.I's firewalls like they were paper and throwing up his own firewalls that would take the on-board V.I days to break down if he didn't do anything.

This entire process took less then one millisecond.

Churchill checked the time he had done this and made the A.I equivalent of frowning. He shouldn't be this slow. 'Could it have been what Tali'Zorah had said?' he thought to himself. After infiltrating the Normandy's systems, he knew about the quarian's war with the geth.

He had read about how the geth were originally a slave race (something he wasn't very pleased about) and non-sentient (even less pleased), and how a geth had asked about their existence of a soul. He had read about how the quarians had tried to shut them down and how the geth rebelled and attacked them. He had read about how the geth had forced the quarians into permanent exile, which had caused their bad reputation. He read it all but he still couldn't see why she was so opposed to him. He was not geth, he was a human A.I. So he decided to do something.

He decided to talk to her.

"'Ello there."

"KEELAH!" she screamed, toppling over the box she was just sitting on.

"Oh dear, didn't hurt anything I hope."

"You insufferable bosh'tet! You stupid piece of-" Tali started into a swearing spree which Churchill promptly ignored by shutting off his microphones in that part of the Normandy. While she was on that rant, he double checked his systems to notice that Odin had sent him a request for a Go game.

A little while later, with the Go game settled (it was a draw), Churchill turned his attention back to Tali. "Are you quite done?" he asked her.

"Yes," she said, oddly grave. "I've noticed that you've infiltrated the Normandy. Well? Are you going to kill me? Rob the room of air and suffocate me?"

"What? No!"

Tali's posture relaxed slightly. "You mean your not going to try to kill me?"

"Good heavens no! I'm not a geth."

"But you're an A.I!" she insisted.

"And you're a quarian. Are you going to try to steal something?" he retorted sarcastically.

"No, but-"

"Listen," said Churchill, interrupting Tali, "I know that you don't like . I can understand that, but can you at least give me a bleeding chance?"

Tali paused for a second, thinking. "No," she said finally, "A.I.s ejected us from our world and killed millions of quarians. I'll never forgive your type."

Churchill electronically sighed. He had tried playing nice, now it was time to bring out the big guns. "So what?"

"So what?" The quarian screamed, "we lost our world! Millions of our kind died! How can you say so wha-"

"514 billion," said the A.I suddenly.

"What?"

"That's how many humans died in the Great War. Five hundred and fourteen billion men, woman and children."

A look of horror came over Tali's body language. "Keelah."

"That's not it. Hundreds of our worlds were burned to glass. It has taken centuries to restore even a percentage of them. Compared to that, your petty war with the geth is pretty insignificant, isn't it?"

If Tali heard the quip, she didn't respond to it. "Who- who caused that?"

Churchill smiled. 'Hook, line and sinker,' he thought before responding. "The very same race which is currently serving as the XO of this ship."

"What? Bu-"

"The humans that exist forgave the race that murdered billions of their kind. If they did that, shouldn't you be able to forgive an A.I that hasn't even caused you any wrong? Keelah se'lai, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," he said in a perfect accent. With that, he disappeared from the holo-panel in a flurry of light.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry about the long wait. I have several reasons why I haven't been writing, procrastination and Skyrim being the biggest two (FUS ROH DAH). I'll be writing at a quicker pace now, so don't worry about future chapters, for they will come.

Why is it that while you're creating your work, it looks amazing, but when you go back and re-read it, it looks like crap.

Anyways, thank you all for reading my terrible work.

* * *

><p>Smith sat at Citadel flight control, extremely bored. It was an ordinary day, if you could call it that. In the wards, the amount of light never changed, which screwed with most of the people on the citadel. It felt weird going to bed and seeing light shine through your window like it was mid-day.<p>

He swirled his cup of coffee. It had been cold for a while. He took a sip and pulled a face. "Friggen' xenos don't know how to make a decent cup of coffee," he muttered. Despite his frustration, he took another sip and drained the brown liquid, tossing the empty cup to the pile that filled his desk.

"Hey, Alaya, you think you could get me another cup?" he asked to his asari co-worker.

"Again Smith? I don't know how you humans can drink that stuff."

"Less talky, more coffee." He chuckled at the small rhyme.

Alaya scowled and walked into the rec room.

Smith leaned back in his chair and gave himself a rare moment of relaxation. The job at Citadel flight control was boring, yes, but it paid decently and he really needed the money. He had a family back on Earth, a wife and a kid with another one on the way, and he constantly sent money back to them. He hoped that he might be able to get enough money one day to ship himself off the station.

A flashing light on the board interrupted his thoughts. "Huh?" he muttered. He had never seen that light up before. Swiftly, he grabbed the manual from under his desk and skimmed through the pages, looking for some clue about what it was.

"Here's your coffee Smith," said Alaya, returning.

"Alaya, perfect. You've been here longer then me, what does this flashing light mean?"

Alaya looked at the board for a moment before her eyes went wide. "Impossible," she muttered, her hands skimming across the holographic key-pad. "That can't be possible."

"What?" asked Smith, just a little bit panicked, "what does that light mean?"

"It usually only lights up when a meteor or another large object is on an intercept path with the Citadel! It's never lit up before!"

"How large are we talking about?"

"At least 10 kilometers!"

Smith's jaw dropped, just like his current cup of coffee. It hit the ground and splashed the bitter liquid all over the floor. It was ignored.

Then, as quick as the light had lit up, it disappeared. "What the..." muttered Smith.

Another light lit up. "What... what does that one mean?"

"That's an incoming call from a spectre..." Alaya said, obviously confused. Gingerly, she tapped a button. "This is Citadel flight control, come in."

A human voice came through the other end. "This is spectre Shepard, aboard the ship URSC Olympus. I request permission to the council to allow this ship to come close to the Citadel, over."

Alaya and Smith looked at each other, confused. "Spectre, you have permission to dock at the Citadel, over."

"Negative, flight control. I need permission to come close. Docking is impossible, over."

"You have permission to come close, but why is docking impossible? Over."

"You'll see in a moment, over."

Smith and Alaya looked at each other once again. Smith shrugged and walked to the rec room.

"Where are you going?" asked the asari.

"Gonna get a rag and clean up the coffee." Alaya looked down and suddenly realized the spilled liquid. She stepped back out of the brown puddle.

Smith returned a second later with a wet rag and leaned down to clean up the mess. After a few seconds of wiping the floor, he felt a patting on his head. "Yeah, Alaya?"

"Y-you might want to see this."

"What is it now." Smith stood up and looked out the window. For the first second he couldn't believe what he saw. Then for half a second, he lost control of his bladder. Finally, he stepped back in panic and slipped from the coffee, falling heavily. "What the fuck is that thing!" he shouted, pointing frantically at the 15 kilometer ship that just appeared outside the Citadel.

"This is Captain Hastern of the URSC Olympus, broadcasting on an open channel. We wish to speak with your... council."

Smith looked at Alaya with a large amount of panic. She looked at him for a second before tapping a key. "T-this is Citadel flight control. We... ah, don't have any docks to fit a ship of your size Olympus."

"Understood, we'll be sending some dropships instead. Please send the coordinates."

"Affirmative Olympus. Coordinates are being sent." Alaya pressed the mute key and collapsed into her chair.

"What have we gotten ourselves into..." muttered Smith.

[0][0][0]

Hastern nervously fiddled with his shield generator on his back. He wore an officer's suit, but also had a layer of armor underneath it with a class-2 shield generator. These generators were usually given to ODSTs and sangheili minors and majors. They generated two shield layers, one on top of the other. If one went down, the other would work while the first recovered. It was a simple, yet effective, method. Hastern also carried a pistol at his side with a few spare magazines.

He knew that he shouldn't be this nervous or be wearing this much equipment, but it was good to be prepared. The first time humans had encountered an alien race, they had tried to religiously exterminate the entire human race. The second time, that race had tried to consume them. "Fool me once..." he muttered.

"Sorry sir?" asked one of his Spartan escorts asked.

"Nothing." Hastern sighed and looked around the dropship. The lighting cast everything in an eerie red glow. When Hastern looked at the Spartans, he could understand why they had earned the nickname Demon during the great war. The red light coupled with their un-feeling visors made them seem like warriors from hell.

His com beeped. "Captain," It was a sangheili pilot flying one of the phantom dropships, "we have arrived."

"Good. Unload and follow discreetly. They'll be needed if thing goes wrong."

"Understood, Captain. Good luck."

"And you pilot." Hastern stood up and turned towards the doors. Slowly, they opened to reveal a crisp white and silver landing pad. He frowned. It looked pretty. Pretty was never good.

Hastern stepped off the ramp flanked by his Spartan escort. A group people, a mix of humans and "turians," as they were called with blue uniforms stood at the edge of the landing. Hastern cringed a bit.

"Looks like they sent a welcoming party," said one of the Spartans.

"Stow it, Two," growled another one.

"Shutting up, sir."

Hastern walked up to the group of people. "We'll need to confiscate your weapons."

Hastern ignored them and continue walking.

"Sir, I need to-"

"I heard you the first time, son. We're not going to give you our guns."

"S-sir, we're under orders to take them. We have to have them."

Hastern took another look at the group of men and suddenly realized that these weren't soldiers. They were just regular police officers. 'They're underestimating us.'

"Spartans, lock your weapons. They won't be able to find out how they work."

Each of the armored super-soldiers pressed a single button on the side of the weapon. Instantly, each part of the gun retracted and it seemed to shrink a bit. One by one, each of the Spartans gave the officers their guns.

The head officer looked visibly relieved. "Thank you sir."

"Just bring us to your council," growled Hastern.

"Of course sir, this way."

[0][0][0]

Hastern walked up the steps to the Council chamber. It was huge and incredibly decorative, obviously meant as a show of power. The Spartans were glancing around. 'If I know them, they're probably trying to find hidden soldiers and sniping angles,' he thought. "Find anything?" he asked on the com.

"There are several hidden soldiers. We've relayed their position. I'm surprised that they're letting us get this close," said the lead Spartan.

Hastern nodded and walked the final few steps up to the ramp. After a small gap, a platform with a turian, asari and salarian on it. 'Must be the Councilors.'

The asari spoke first. "We call this Council session to address the position of this Captain James Hastern and his ship, the Olympus."

Hastern nodded. "Thank you Councilors. As you may have guessed, we aren't from around here."

The turian spoke up this time. "Ah yes, you're from 'another universe,' as Shepard described," he said, enunciating his words with finger quotes. "How do we know that's actually true?"

"Examine any of our weapons you confiscated, or look at our ship, it doesn't have a mass effect drive." Hastern countered.

"It is interesting you know what a mass effect drive is," spoke the salarian councilor.

"I have greatly examined your codex."

"Shepard gave you a copy of the codex?"

"No, we took it."

If there was any reaction from the councilors, they did not show it. "How did you do that?" growled the turian councilor. "The Normandy's V.I is one of the most advanced."

"It doesn't matter how advanced the V.I is. No Virtual intelligence can defeat an artificial one."

A collective gasp came from the Council chamber. " are illegal!" shouted the turian Councilor.

"Not from where we come from."

"This cannot stand," said the asari Councilor calmly. "Captain, you are ordered to surrender yourselves and turn over all technologies. Furthermore, you will shut down your immediately."

"I can't do that. I answer to the United Races Space Command, not a group of aliens that I've never even heard of before today."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice." The Councilor made a slight hand motion. Swiftly, several soldiers stepped out of the shadows and surrounded the Captain and the Spartans. "These men will escort you to your cell."

Hastern turned to the Councilor. "I'm going to give you one chance. Call off your soldiers and let me walk out of here."

"Restrain him," ordered the turian Councilor, an obvious smile on his face.

Hastern shook his head sadly. "Contingency Epsilon," he said into his mic.

Suddenly, there was a humming as several Sangheili commandos de-cloaked, seized the soldiers and forced them to the ground. Several others aimed plasma accelerator weapons at the Councilors. "All enemy forces secure sir!" shouted one of the commandos.

"Excellent." Hastern turned to look at the Councilors shocked faces. "What? You didn't really expect me to come here without any backup, did you?"

"You... how dare yo-"

"Yes, I dare. I don't think you realize who we are. We are not some mercenary band that you can order around, we aren't part of your Council races. We are the United Races Space Command. We have ships that can travel from one side of the galaxy to the other in days. Our weapons can burn planets until their surface is glass, and then crack them in half. We are the ones that found the halo rings, the weapons that can wipe out all life in the galaxy, and we destroyed them. We are the ones that stopped the Flood. We succeeded where the Forerunners failed!" Hastern fell deathly silent. "We are leaving. Don't try to follow us." With that, he turned around and swiftly walked out, followed by the Spartans. After a few more seconds, the sangheili, after taking the guards weapons, also followed.

A few tense moments passed before anyone in the Council chamber said anything. Finally, Shepard spoke up. "Damn," he muttered, just before running off in the direction of Hastern.

(0)(0)(0)

In an unknown part of space, a man sat in a chair. In front of him were several screens, each open to a different channel. Some were open to various informants or operatives in the field, while others were open to several news networks. Although they may be biased, news was still an excellent way to find out what was happening in the galaxy.

The man sat back and took a hold of the glass on one of the arm rests of the chair. It was whiskey, incredibly old and extremely well aged. There are men who would kill for a bottle of it. There were men who had died for this glass.

Slowly, he brought it too his lips, but suddenly stopped and stared at one of the screens. He put the glass back on the armrest and enhanced the image. His eyes widened and he immediately tapped on one of the screens. After a few seconds, the screens displayed a series of information that he wanted. After reading it, he smiled, a rare occurrence for this man.

He closed the screens and pressed a button on one of the armrests. "I want operative Lawson in my office."

After hearing a "yes sir," he settled back and took a long drag from the cigarette in his left hand. The Illusive Man smiled. "Opportunity," he muttered.

(0)(0)(0)

Shepard ran down the corridors of the presidium. "That friggen idiot," he muttered as he jumped down the steps. Eventually, he caught sight of Hastern's group. He started rush up to them, only to be stopped when several guns were pointed at him. "Woah there..." he said, raising his hands.

Hastern turned towards him. "Shepard. What are you doing coming after me? Did your council send you?"

"No, I'm here on my own," Shepard replied. "I want to help you."

Hastern raised an eyebrow. He looked at Shepard for several seconds before waving a hand. The soldiers who had been pointing their guns returned them to their holsters. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because you're smart. You aren't blind and stubborn like those idiots on their thrones, and you're a neutral party. Plus... I need help as well."

Hastern smiled a bit. "I scratch your back, you scratch mine."

"Exactly. Though, I'd rather not talk here."

Hastern nodded. "Let's take this aboard the Olympus."

[0][0][0]

Hastern walked into the main bridge of Olympus. He glanced at Shepard. His jaw had dropped, good. "Impressed?"

"Yeah, I... wow."

Hastern chuckled. The bridge of the Olympus was impressive indeed. It was nearly fifty square feet and had dozens of load-out screens, some that stretched from ceiling to the twenty foot high ceiling. In the front of the bridge was the Captain's chair with a large window that currently held the view of the Citadel.

Hastern strode over to his chair and tapped a few keys on it. A small panel opened up, which he placed his hand on. After a few seconds, a drawer slid out of the wall. Hastern reached in and took out a bottle of amber colored liquid and two glasses. "Want ice?" he asked towards Shepard.

"No thanks, I like mine straight."

Hastern chuckled. "Good man."

Hastern poured the liquid into the two glasses, handing Shepard one. Shepard took it and sniffed the liquid. Satisfied with the smell, he took a sip only to pull a face. "Holy... what is this stuff?"

Hastern smiled and took a sip from his own glass. "Like it? It's whiskey, hundreds of years old. This type was made during the final years of the great war, so it's especially rare."

Shepard looked at his glass again before taking a sip. "So, I suppose your wondering about why I need your help?"

Hastern placed his glass on his chair. "Yes."

"I'm hunting a rogue Spectre. His name's Saren. He attacked a human colony, Eden Prime, and now he's gunning for the Citadel."

"Interesting." Hastern tapped a few keys on his chair. Knowing Churchill, he was probably recording this entire conversation and was now searching for information related to this rogue Spectre. Sure enough, several screens of information appeared on Hastern's HUD. He opened one and started to read it.

"But I don't think he just wants to destroy the Citadel." Shepard said.

Hastern stopped reading and looked at him.

"He has no reason to attack the Citadel and he's working with the geth." Another screen popped up on Hastern's HUD that was related to the geth. "They're a machine race and have no reason to be working with an organic like Saren. I think there's something more."

"Why didn't you go to your council?"

"I did!" Exclaimed Shepard. "They didn't listen! They just brushed me aside."

Suddenly, it clicked. "And that's why you need my help."

"Exactly. As I said, your a neutral party. You're not bound by any laws or anything. You're just like a Spectre except you've got a giant-ass ship and a shit-load of men!"

"And what do I get?"

"I can tell you anything you want to know about this galaxy."

"That's not good enough. I can find anything I want on your codex."

Shepard suddenly tensed. "Alright, what do you want?"

Hastern considered it for a moment. His only current goal was to get back home, but currently, even that sounded unreasonable. "Let's just say that you'll owe me a favor."

Shepard raised his eyebrows high on his forehead. "Seriously?"

Hastern nodded. "Yes. But there will be a series of conditions."

"Such as?"

"You will report to me before you report to the council. You will obey my orders unless they directly clash with other orders, from me or the council. You will not tell the council about any of this."

"Very well. Anything else?"

"Yes. Three Spartans will accompany you. They will ensure your success." The words, 'orders sent,' flashed across Hastern's HUD.

"Only three? Are Spartans good?"

Hastern grinned. "Oh, you have no idea."


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry this chapter took so long. I got a bad case of writers block and Mass Effect 3 happened.

Speaking of Mass Effect 3, let's talk about that ending. That terrible, horrible mess of an ending.

Bioware better fix that crap soon.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter. It's really short, so sorry about that.

* * *

><p>Shepard watched the dropship fly slowly into the Normandy's loading bay. The Pelican, as Hastern called it, touched down and its back opened up. Three large, armored soldiers walked out, carrying very large and heavy looking cases. They walked to one side of the bay and put them down in a group. They repeated this action several times until they had a large pile of crates, barrels and cases.<p>

Once they were done, they made a hand symbol towards the Pelican's front. The dropship lifted off and flew back to the Olympus. The soldiers walked over to their pile of things and started unpacking.

Shepard walked up to the soldier in grey armor. "Welcome to the Normandy," he said, extending his hand. "I assume that you guys are the three Spartans?"

The soldier shook it. "Yes sir."

Shepard eyed their pile of supplies. "Need any help unpacking?"

The grey Spartan shook his head. "It would be better if you didn't help, sir."

"Understood. Ask me if you need help."

The Spartan nodded.

Shepard turned and walked to Ashley's work station. "What do you think of them?" he asked her.

Ashley glanced at them. "Permission to speak freely?"

"Granted."

"They creep me out. Watch them for a while, don't they look like robots?"

Shepard turned to them and watched. Ashley was right, they didn't seem to be human. They were fast, and unpacked their supplies with almost shocking speed. However, what really surprised Shepard was the things they were unpacking.

Rifles, pistols and guns that Shepard couldn't even begin to recognize. Satchels of what he guessed were explosives. Several different types of grenades,

"Look at that," whispered Ashley, "You'd think they were going to invade a planet."

Shepard nodded, agreeing. Then, he stood up, thought for a moment, and walked back over to the Spartans. He stood there for a moment while they saluted. "If we're going to work together, I'll need to know what each of you are good at."

The grey Spartan spoke up. "I'm Aaron, the leader of Omega squad. I have been told that I have a tactical mind and am an excellent leader. I can be used as a second in command or a leader of a fire team if needed."

The olive green spartan stifled a snort. Aaron glared at him, then turned back to Shepard. "I am also talented in the use of explosives. However, I believe I will need some basic training in the use of your explosives."

Shepard crossed his arms. "Why not just use your own?"

"We have limited resources," the grey spartan said, "It would be best to not use out our supplies quickly."

Shepard nodded. "What about the rest of you?"

"I'm Omega Team's scout and tech expert," said the green spartan. "My name's Jeffery, but you can just call me Jeff, Commander."

"You're a tech expert?" Shepard asked, "Do you have an omni-tool?"

Jeff looked at him. "A what now?"

Shepard's arm light up. "This. It's a personalized holographic computer. It can be used to hack into things, deliver large electric shocks and do all other sorts of things."

Jeff looked at it for a second. "Got a spare?"

Shepard nodded. He reached into a pocket and handed him it. "It may take some time to get used to all the tricks that it has."

The Green Spartan attached it to his wrist and activated it. A screen popped up with a series of readings. Then another, and another. "Woah, this thing is amazing."

Shepard nodded. "Yeah, once you get really good with it, you can-"

Jeff suddenly raised the omni-tool. It sparked and a glowing orb appeared in the middle of the bay.

"Overload shields..." Shepard finished, amazed. "That's... a combat drone. How did you do that?"

Jeff barely looked up from the screens. "Easy. Just ran through a basic diagnostics to find he different features of the tool." He turned back to the screens.

Shepard folded his arms. "A combat drone isn't basic."

Jeff ignored him, continuing to look at the screens.

"Spartan?" Shepard asked in a stern tone. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Aaron shaking his head.

"Don't bother sir, when Jeffery gets like this, there isn't much that can get his attention."

Shepard sighed. "Are all Spartans like him?" He asked, nodding towards Jeffery.

Aaron looked briefly at the Spartan in question. "No. Jeffery is... easygoing for a Spartan."

"You can say that again." Shepard turned to the final spartan, the one in orange armor. "So, what's your specialty?"

"Sniper."

A full five seconds passed before someone said something. "Anything else...?"

"No."

Shepard turned to Aaron, an eyebrow raised.

"That's Rachel, Omega team's sniper."

"She doesn't talk much, does she?"

The leader of Omega team shook his head. "She talks when necessary. However, if you need a sniper for a mission, she's your soldier."

Shepard nodded. "I should let you get back to your work."

Aaron saluted and turned back to the pile of packages.

Shepard walked back to Ashely's workstation. "So, Skipper? What do you think?"

Shepard rubbed his head. "I honestly have no idea."

000

Aaron watched Shepard talk to the woman. His HUD had marked her as Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, and as he focused on her, a screen popped up giving known intel on her.

"So, what do you think of the Commander?" asked a disembodied voice. It was a strong voice, and Aaron knew it well.

"Leonidas."

"I have reviewed his service records." A few more screens popped up on Aaron's HUD. "Born on space ships, both parents were in the navy. He single handedly fought off a group of pirates until reinforcements arrived. Reminds me of the time I held off the persians in Thermopylae."

The Spartan ignored the A.I's comment and continued to read Shepard's records. "He was at the battle of Torfan. Refused to follow orders and send soldiers to capture the position. Said it was 'a fucking stupid idea and that he wouldn't send his men to die for a bunker that wasn't worth a damn.' He apparently convinced a Captain of a ship to bombard the position with orbital strikes."

"What do you think?" asked Leonidas again.

The leader of Omega team thought for a moment. "Two things. One, he is a skilled negotiator. It is not easy to convince a captain of a ship to provide ground support without orders."

"And the second thing?" asked Leonidas.

"He has a weak determination if he isn't willing to sacrifice his men like that. There isn't room for weakness in war."

The screens cleared away and the image of an ancient soldier appeared on Aaron's HUD. The soldier wore bronze armor and had a red cloak around him. A short sword was at his hip and a large, bronze shield was mounted on his back. He carried a long spear and a bronze helmet with a large red plume. "On that we can both agree."


End file.
